Fun in the Woods

Spring is in the air and it is becoming easier to get outside and play. One of my major goals at the Boys and Girls Club is to promote a healthy lifestyle through diet and exercise. We have had a mix bag of weather this April, but that hasn't stopped us from getting outside every day at the LCO Boys and Girls Club.

Tristan and Sunny enjoying the fire. Only one match to light this well made fire.

Our forts from last fall were still standing, but we did a renovation and expansion.

Jayden, Migwan, Kalista, and McCayla were the lead builders in a couch and a bed. We had 15 kids on the construction project.

Who needs a playground when you have trees

Paige gathering the sap from the trees

Boiling down Sap with Bob. Bob, an ojibwe elder taught the kids the proper way to tap the trees, gather the sap and make the syrup. He taught us the ojibwe and the american names of the different trees and plants in the sugar bush.

Maria playing the flute

Hide-and-go-seek at the Pow Wow Grounds

Final Hill Climb...Best race of the season

With one race to go I held the purple distance leader bib by 7 points. The final race was a big one. Double Points. Super Tour Finals. The distance title and $2,000 would be decided by the 4km, 250m vertical race up Dollar Mountain in Sun Valley, Idaho.

Red Heads Climbing up Elkhorn Mountain: Matt Gelso and Brian Gregg Photo: Nils Ribi

The hill climb is a race I have been visualizing in my mind all season long, but in particular theses last 4 weeks of training. I had my race plan dialed for the pursuit start on the final day on the mini tour. There were several races going on that day, but I was focused on the standing for the hill climb alone.

Super Tour 2011 (Distance Champion Brian Gregg, Sprint Champion Mike Sinnott, Overall Champion Lars Flora) Photo: David Wheelock

The race went perfect. I went out hard for the first 500m, then brought the pace down and settled in to my red line. I received some splits on Lars who started ahead of me that I was leading by 15 seconds at the halfway point. I pushed it hard a bit early but crossed the line knowing it was a great race. I finished 3rd on the day, just behind Kris Freeman and my teammate Tad Elliott. This was a great race for me and I am very happy to end the season on such a positive note. Now it is time to relax and recover from training. Wedding planning is on the agenda.

Final Week of Racing

Skis are clean and with the coaches, dinner is prepped, clothes are hung to dry and everything is ready for the final week of racing in Sun Valley, Idaho.

Enjoying a beautiful day at Baker Park

After the North Star Super Tour in California was cancelled Caitlin and I decided to stay and train in Minneapolis. Although this would shorten are acclimitization period at altitude we could be at home, train in familiar locations and save some cash.

While many are complaining about all the snow, it is great for skiing. Caitlin and I visited the 5th grade at Sunset Hill Elementary. There are 4 classes of 20 and we got to go skiing with two of them. I am very impressed with how good the kids are especially in the soft snow. Many were first timers or had very little experience but they were cruising. We had some fun relays and balance contests. I am so bummed that I had left the memory card for the camera at the apartment.

Training for Sun... Caitlin, Matt, and Garrott

It has been 3 weeks since my last race and it has been great to get in some solid training and recovery. I miss racing and am excited to toe the line tomorrow in the 50k.

Oh yeah, Caitlin and I have been staying busy during our taper. We put a bid in on a house on Sunday before flying to Sun Valley. As soon as we have the purchase agreement signed we will post some pictures and information. It is sweet: small, near the ski trail, and only 25k... that is cheaper than rent.

Team Work

Cross country ski racing for the most part is an individual sport. With the exception of team sprints and relays, the result is based on your own performance. Only one person climbs to the top step of the podium, however there are many people that help the champion get there. Thousands of hours are spent training and many times it is only through the support of your teammates that you can really push yourself to the max.

Brian and Matt with chips together tying for the win at the

Sleeping Giant Loppet in a three-legged finish

This past weekend my teammates: Caitlin, Matt and I went up to Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada for the Sleeping Giant Loppet a 50km freestyle race. The race offered a cash prize of $1,000 for first and we were both keen on taking the check home.

Matt and I race at almost the exact same level. The previous week before Matt and I finished the American Birkebeiner 50km Freestlye race separated by just .40 seconds. We knew it would be a real battle to the finish so we decided to make a pact and work together in the race, splitting the winnings. We were going to share the work of pulling at the front of the pack. Matt even carried a backpack with spare water bottles for both of us.

Our main competition were two locals from Thunder Bay who are although semi-retired from racing professionally are very fast. We had raced Adam a few weeks earlier and he beat both of us.

20km into the race Matt and I made our move. Charging hard off of the front of the lead pack and rotating leads until we were out of sight of the chasers. Our plan worked perfectly and Matt and I were able to break away to come in for the win, albeit just 20 seconds ahead of third.

Matt is one of my good friends and training partners. Although we are good friends we are still both fierce competitors when we are racing. It is all business from the start gun to the finish line, but as soon as one of us cross the line we are cheering for the other to come in too. It was fun to do a race working and finishing together.

Another part of the team that is often not seen when the winner climbs to the top of the podium is the support team: Coaches, Wax Technician, and Feeders. Sometimes it takes doing a race without your regular support crew to realize how great they are. A bit thanks to Jason, Gus, CXC and my many supporters for all your hard work behind the scenes.

Barnebirkie

1,000 skiers

kids only

kickoff to Birkebeiner weekend

joy

Delaney and Garrott at the start early and excited for the Barnebirkie

What is the best way to find your kid at the end of the race. This wasn't this brother and sister's first rodeo.

Neeandweah, Shaylena, and Jayden part of the crew representing the

Boys and Girls Club of Lac Courte Orielles

I want a dragon suit in my size.

Get Outside

Ski

Have Fun

Mid Season Altitude Camp

Everything is better when you are skiing

After the Houghton Super Tours, the next stop on the Super Tour circuit is Aspen, Colorado. My season goals changed this year after US Nationals. I decided to stay stateside and pursue the Super Tour Distance title. With Aspen at 8,500 feet, the Boulder Mountain Tour offering $3,000, and a cheap Southwest Airlines flight into Boise a trip out west was born.

Previewing the finish of the Boulder Mountain Tour. Course Description: Slightly downhill and flat

The Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation hosted a co-ed sprint race on Thursday before the BMT. It was a great spectator event consisting of 3 rounds of 2*300m laps. Bonfires, a band, and $1,000 on the line brought a big crowd to the park downtown.

Me and ITA teammate Kate Whitcomb skied to 5th place. Thanks Kate for coming out of 'ski' retirement and a full work day for the race

I am not sure how Ian took this picture of me by myself. I spent the entire race in a pack of skiers until the finish. Photo: Ian Harvey

Boulder Mountain Tour Champs: Sylvan Elefson and Evelyn Dong

US National 50km Course and Super Tour Finals Venue

I will be back in Sun Valley in March and it was great to preview the courses and hammer out some intervals on them. I skied the 50km course clockwise my first day in town and it was ridiculously hard. Thankfully we go counter-clockwise in the 50km. Still the course has two ‘A’ climbs, one with 50m of climbing and the other with 37m of climbing. We will do each 7 times. It is going to be awesome.

Midwest Super Tours: Ups and Downs

Photo Credit: Gowtham [Michigan Tech]

The last two weeks have been a bit of a struggle for me. I travel well, but I hit the training hard on Monday after flying in from Lake Placid and I caught a virus. I took it real easy most of the week and started feeling better near the weekend.

Last year, I won my first individual SuperTour at the Mayor's Challenge in Minneapolis, MN but this year I didn't even get out of bed for the first day of racing. Feeling better on Day 2 I raced but when the pace picked up, I started hurting in a hurry. My results matched how I felt and I began to focus on the coming races in Houghton, MI.

The first two races in Houghton were decent races for me as far as time/percentage back from the leaders but my placings were some of my worst of the season 14th and 11th. I was really starting to loose confidence.

The good thing about tough or poor races is that they make the good ones all that sweeter. Today's race, a 15km Freestyle mass start was just that. I went out hard from the gun to keep the crashes and chaos to a minimum and settled in for a good pack race. My friend and teammate Matt took some long pulls at the front and brought the lead pack down to ten skiers. Knowing that I was still not back to my 100 percent form I skied a conservative race, trying to use as little energy as possible. With 2.5km to go my roommate Garrott had broken away by 15 seconds from me and a group of four other skiers. I waited for the anticipated attacks of the other skiers in my group and decided to make a break for it as soon as their pace seemed to back off a bit. I was able to get a few meters gap and come in to the finish in second place for the day.

It feels great to be back on the podium and back in the mix at the front of the race.